I am looking at both cars right now and it is a very tough choice. I can get most of the same features as the TL for about 4K less on the Max. I like the extra room, trunk size and the folding rear seats of the Max but I like the way the TL drives a little better. Have any of you compared the same cars and what made the difference in choosing your Max.

Thanks,

RD

 

hell yea they have compared these cars alot. some people choose the max some like the TL, I personatly choose the max cause I've had one since my very first car and it still amazes me.

 

I am up in the air with that one.. The TL is damn nice, I would probably take the TL over MY car because of the issues I had to deal with. But if they fixed the 04 issues in 05 I will still take the max any day, much better looking in my opinion.

 

They are very close, but I preferred the price and looks of the Max. Another factor was the availability of Sirius with the Max and XM only with the TL.

 

I was also looking at both cars. I thought the interior was nicer in the TL, I liked the voice-nav and bluetooth options also, but I chose the max because the dealership was mre accomodating, they gave me a good buyout on my trade-in car, and the car IS like 5K less. Plus, after 2K worth of mods, it handles better than any car I've ever owned, not t mention better than the TL. And I still saved money! No regrets here.

(I'm not comparing my nissan dealer to one Acura delaer; I'm comparing it to all 5 acura dealers I visited.)

 

did you check on what the cost of insurance would be on the cars? I'm sure the acura is more expensive than the max?

Living in NY, insurance is so damn high, as well as other urban cities.

 

I looked at both as well. The TL did have a nicer looking interior, but was too small for me. My interior size test is to sit in the drivers seat and get it in a comfortable position. Then I climb in the backseat behind it. I'm 6'1" and my knees where touching my ears in the TL. I also don't like the trapezoidal exhaust on the TL. Looks cheesy.

 

The TL has its fair share of problems too. Don't believe for a minute that they are perfectly built either. When they first came out I was reading the TL boards, and there were as many complaints about fit and finish, and rotten transmissions as there were here as well.

CM

 

I went with the Max because I never owned a Honda, and am not sure if their engines have torque across a broader band than the sweet VQ engine. I can attest that the Maxima has a lot of torque down low, where it's needed 90% of the time.

 

My recommendation would be extremely biased therefore I would recommend you read other user's reviews and caranddriver.com/roadandtrack.com i think i read something about the TL having some serious torque steer and one of these magazines called it "vigorous"...

Personally I love the TL's guages and front end... The interior is extremely sporty and its an all around great car.
But the 6th gen max, especially with the option to put two bucket seats in the back with a sleek center console, the powerful V6 and the fact that I have driven 3rd, 4th, currnetly 5.5th and 6 gen cars all my life would tip the scales in favor of the Maxima. If its between these two... drive them both a bunch more before buying one... I think the 6th gen Maxima will give you the better value and turn more heads... Its a great car.

Edit: http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=367740 Read about the engine powering our wonderful cars... Maybe that will help...

 

If the 6-gen was better looking, I'd vote for that. But it's not. So I vote TL for me.

 

This is a Max forum....so all of us should vote Maxima...

 

So if the choice was inbetween a maxima and a BMW 500hp M5, we should still choose the maxima?

 

not again....

 

Yeah Maxima vs TL threads were banned in this forum at one point. The discussion got silly pretty fast.

 

shiiieeet

 

If money wasn't a factor, the M5 would be the choice of any logical person, but I don't think a lot of us on this forum has $90k to drop on a car. When comparing a Max and TL, price may not be that big of a factor, then we can't start comparing performance, features, etc.

 

 

I would take the TL in a heart beat. Acura customer service is lot better than Nissan.

 

However valid your points might be (and they are), none of these points were mention or implied in the post I replied to. Only that we should be voting maxima.

 

The TL has electrical problems too! A lot of owners are pissed off at those problems as there are no TSB's for those gremlins yet. There are some issues with the Bluetooth too, I would rather have a few fit and finish problems and a mechanical problem than any electrical/software problem. I have a brand new 05 SE and used to have an 04 SL...had it changed because of all the problems and I never race....I love to cruise on the Highway....Just my two cents.

 

Did you look at the 300C by Chrysler? I would choose it over both. First time I ever said this about a Chrysler over a Nissan.

 

my friend has the TL and i have an 05 SE, mine is better than his. Except he shelled out the extra 2g for navi. Other than that, maximas bigger, and looks nicer

 

I took a hard look at that 300C, also. However, the limited availability of models on dealers' lots to choose from, and the little if any discounts they were giving off MSRP at the time persuaded me to look in other directions. I also here that car had hood and trunk alignment issues!

 

Okay I like the TL, but their automatics are poo and I'm just not fond of rev it up to 5k just to get going VTEC powerbands. I do like the "car" itself better than the Maxima though. Take the TL, but then swap in a Gen III Nissan VQ35DE engine along with the sturdier Aisin 5spd automatic and I'd buy one tomorrow. My dream car is a "Nissonda"

Alternatively, take the 04 Maxima but give it the nicer Acura interior and Acura customer service and I'd take the Maxima tomorrow.

OR... build the cars flawless straight from the factory such that having to visit the dealership isn't needed and customer service isn't important.

I can't have my cake and eat it too with either of these cars at the moment, so I'm on hold. The 2006 Toyota Avalon looks friggin sweet though. 3.5L 280hp V6 too. It's running high in the rankings for my next car at the moment, assuming I buy new (which I probably won't).

 

i have owned a couple acuras and my boys have the TL and the type s, and i dont see anything so so special than the max besides the price.i would be happy with either but the max being choice because you get more bang for the buck. P.s. the new max gives me a better run than the TL.

 

I think the TL is sportier looking and I prefer the look of the TL to the Maxima. But, the Maxima is WAY cheaper and you get more bang for your buck (as previously said). If the TL was priced the same as the Max, I'd go with the TL. I do love my Max, though, and feel I got a much much better deal with it than I would have with the TL.

 

My friend just got a TL I love the interior and i think that the dash and gauges etc are of much better craftsmanship than the MAX but I was surprised at how tight i was inside the car. It also sounds a little better stock (a bit of a growl) than the max. I will race him and see whos fater light to light. TL's Navi and Vehicle computer are way better than the max. Nissan has a bit of ctaching up to do. Hell he can use his Bluetooth phone in his car and my glovebox isnt even str8!

 

well in my case i had ben able to drive the tl before i had bought my maxima althought they say that the tl has 275 horse i belive i know for a fact that my maxima is more powerfull i had beaten it numerous times but that is me i am a kid yet and i love the feeling of speed the adrenaline rush so i would go with the maxima hands down i guess it puts mores horse down to the ground!!!

 

Agreed. And the interior features of the Acura are much better.

 

There's a similar post in the TL forum ... is that you? Anyway, like I said there, you aren't going to get an unbiased opinion either place, since brand loyalty always prevails.

I'm going to be buying a second car (to replace my Beemer) later this year, and I'm looking hard at the both TL and the G35 sedan. My two cents is that the TL is of course nice, and it looks cool, but it just plain has an overstressed engine. They've wrung 270hp out of 3.2 liters, and it shows in the torque rating. The 265hp Maxima has more torque (and therefore more "grunt") and it feels more powerful from start to passing. And both have torque steer to deal with, regardless what you read. Maxima may not be as nice inside, but it's crammed with useful extras and costs thousands less.

The G35 on the other hand has 280hp, is RWD and also has a cool factor going on. Nicer interior for 2005 and good service departments. Worth looking at.

If the TL had more beans under the hood, didn't have the tranny problems and had more interior and trunk room, I might go that way. But right now, it looks like the G35 is winning.

Does that help any?

Mike

 

Yes the 05 G35 is great much improved over the 03-04's, my buddy just purchased one with the sport suspension its a joy to drive. The 04 TL has a boring drive/feel (steering is way to light) to me and like Mike said its lacking in the low/mid end torque dept. were 9 times out of 10 where we need/like it. I would take an 05 G35 with the Sport package over a TL or Maxima ( I could care less about Blue tooth and a better nav.

 

I have to agree on this... WIth Acura I could drive by and get them to run the car through spotless car wash at any time. For anything more than an oil change, Acura will give you a loaner... You have to spend serious bucks to get a Nissan dealer to give you a loaner and it's usually a 98 Sentra or something like that. At Acura I used to get TL's as loaners... interesting difference.

 

I put it like this, if I had se-dpp w/6spd, tl w/6spd, and g35 w/6spd money, I would be looking at the s60r w/6spd.
Do most of us settle just because?
This is a maximaforum, most of us will have a biased opinion.
My means of living always kept me inside the Nissan Maxima world since 1988 loved every model nissan came out with.
Nissan keeps potential cars in the line up and always affordable.
Once again best bang for my bucks.

 

I just drove by my neighborhood Nissan dealership and one of the managers is driving a TL... not cool.